Tuesday, June 03, 2014

Prairie finds and secret joys...

 
Looking up from Chuck's Pasture 

 Lark Bunting eggs in a ground nest under alfalfa

 
White Penstemon

 
Campion

 
Stemless Hymenoxys


It has been such fun to see all the varieties of flowers coming up on the prairie, some common, old friends and others who only come when the conditions are just right.  I have several other prairie wildflowers that I want to share with you, but they are on my other computer and at the moment, it's on the fritz.  Soon, I will show them to you.

Today I enjoyed a very uplifting and refreshing word from my daily reading of My Utmost for His Highest, June 3.  Here are the excerpts that especially spoke to my heart.

"What is the sign of a friend?  That he tells you his secret sorrows?  No, that he tells you his secret joys.  The last mark of intimacy is to confide secret joys.  The things that make God dear to us are not so much His great big blessings as the tiny things, because they show His amazing intimacy with us; He knows every detail of our individual lives."

"The secret (friendship RV) of the Lord is for those who fear Him."  ~ Psalm 25:10

How many times have you found a secret joy that you know was sent from God especially for you?  Just like the tiny blue bird eggs in the very top of this post, God put me in the path to discover them.  I happened to be walking the pasture coming home from depositing some mail into the mailbox.  As I walked along, a sweet mother bird flew up.  I knew her immediately, the lark bunting, and I knew just then I had discovered her nest.  Sure enough, from the exact point where she flew up, there were three tiny, perfect eggs, about the diameter of the inside of my wedding ring.  There is no way I could find them by hunting and searching, they are so hidden and inconspicuous from the casual walker-by, but knowing the seasons and habits of the birds, and knowing that my God loves to give me His secret joys and gifts, I was able to discover it along the way.

Where I live in rural America, our neighbors are very far apart, miles apart, so we rarely see one another except at community gatherings like funerals, weddings, and at the voting booth.  Our rural voter turn-out is very close to 100%.  Folks here don't miss the chance to vote, and it's a good excuse to visit with your neighbors, even if they live 50 miles or more away!  The gentle handshake of an old lady rancher (in her 90s) whom I rarely see except in the grocery store now and again, was a secret joy to me as I met her at the community hall where we vote.  What a special visit we had, both of us so glad to see one another and to hold hands.  The joy of a soon-to-be grandmother who is expecting her first granddaughter was just ecstatic to share all her sewing and crafting ideas for the baby with me and asked if I'd share a few of my patterns.  Of course!  The secret joys of knowing these folks for so many years and realizing that they are "my people" and that we belong to one another is a gift.  We may live far away from one another, but we are close in spirit and heart.  We speak the same language of the land, livestock, and wildlife and we respect each other, knowing how to live in this rugged country we love.

I hope God has shown you His secret joys today.


8 comments:

  1. I was just home and what you say about the few and far between meetings between neighbors is true. We make the most of the little time we have. It is a treasure to find a nest. At the school we had a robin that nested outside our window. The kids (even though they were tough teens) kept close tabs on their progress. Thanks for the uplifting post.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Oh Jody, what a beautiful post. Your meeting with the little 95 year old lady brought tears to my eyes. And the bird's nest is SO beautiful. Isn't it amazing how perfect and clean the nest is? Thank you for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Love your words of contentment with where God has placed you and your daily life.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Very beautiful post. I love the prairie shot especially, but all of them are wonderful and a peek into your life and countryside. And just wow about your voter turnout. Ours is not good at all.

    ReplyDelete
  5. What lovely thoughts and pictures. Yes, I am aware so often those secret joys that the Lord sends daily. It is so nice to read about them going on in your life. I really like your fellowship of your community. I think it is lost in the cities. A wonderful uplifting post.

    ReplyDelete
  6. What a lovely post! I continue to be intrigued by life on the prairie. What great beauty you run up against every day! Now I'm going to try to imagine eggs the width of one's wedding ring. A secret joy indeed!

    xofrances

    ReplyDelete
  7. I love your thoughts Jody - and I've experienced the same sweetness from the Lord. The friendships you describe remind me of the people I share life with - Islanders. Thank you - I'll be pondering your words. xo

    ReplyDelete
  8. Oh, how beautiful, Jody! Your writing gives me goosebumps. I love the holy connectivity of small town communities.

    ReplyDelete

I love reading your comments. Thanks for stopping in. Sorry, but due to spam, only registered users can comment.

LinkWithin

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...